Various techniques of moving an object are employed from old times for assemblage of mechanical products and other fields, and the techniques are essential in production of engineering products. In recent years, with technical development of MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) and NEMS (nano electromechanical systems), techniques for movement (or transfer) of micro-sized objects are attracting attention. More specifically, the techniques of the MEMS and the NEMS intend to produce novel devices by working a micro object of millimeters, micrometers, or nanometers in size with a working size of micrometers or nanometers. In such working, a technique of moving a micro-sized object of millimeters, micrometers, or nanometers is one of essential techniques.
The micro-sized object can be moved more surely at least by picking up, moving, and releasing under observation with a microscope (optical microscope, electron microscope, ion microscope, probe microscope, ultrasonic microscope, etc.).
The conventional techniques for moving a micro object are exemplified by (1) manipulation techniques employing an electrostatic force, and (2) manipulation techniques employing FIB (a focused ion beam).
By the above technique (1), an object to be moved is picked up electrostatically by bringing close thereto an object-moving means having insulating portion; the object is moved by a moving means; and then the object is released by eliminating or decreasing the electrostatic force.
For example, by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-272316, a thin specimen prepared by FIB for TEM (transmission electron microscopy) is picked up from a semiconductor substrate with a micropipette composed of an insulator bar and is allowed to drop onto a TEM observation mesh.
By the technique (2), an object-moving means is kept close to an object, a deposit for adhesion is formed by projection of FIB at a prescribed site; the adhering object is picked up, and moved by an object-moving means; and thereafter the moved object is released by etching the deposit by projection of FIB.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-258130 discloses a technique for preparation of a TEM specimen: the TEM specimen is picked up by fixation to a probe by fixing deposition and is fixed onto an FIB-TEM observation mesh by fixing deposition, and the probe is cut off.
However, of the above conventional techniques for moving an object, the manipulation technique (1) employing an electrostatic force has a disadvantage that the moved object cannot be released and placed exactly onto an intended state (position, direction, etc.) because the movement object cannot readily be allowed to adhere to an intended position in an intended direction by the electrostatic force by bringing the object close to the object-moving means. The technique has a further disadvantage that the moved object is sometimes kept adhering to the object-moving means and is not released when the static electricity for adhesion is not completely eliminated from the object-moving means at the time of the release, or by other reasons.
The above-manipulation technique (2) employing FIB uses a deposit for the adhesion for more exact pick-up and release of the object than the manipulation technique (1) employing the electrostatic force. This technique (2) may cause damage of the movement object by FIB irradiation or may leave a residue of the object-moving means on the moved object disadvantageously. This damage or residue will not cause a problem in the case like sampling of a TEM specimen. However, the damage or residue often causes a serious problem in moving a micro part or like cases. This technique (2) has also a disadvantage that a part of the moving means is consumed in every moving operation and therefore the moving means should be reworked or exchanged after repeated movement of the object.